


Silent Reverie

by captaintwerkpants



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Drabble, M/M, Squint squint for the romance I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-01-04
Packaged: 2018-01-07 11:59:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1119568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captaintwerkpants/pseuds/captaintwerkpants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Christmas drabble of Dorian and  John just taking a cruise around the city.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silent Reverie

Dorian’s pretty sure John’s all about Christmas no matter the denial the man continues to spew forth as they drive through the city. And with all his attempts of setting both he and Valerie up for the holidays are slowly dwindling into failure.

“She’s probably already got plans with her family, or someone… else” he tries to counter with a gruff explanation.

“She doesn’t,” Dorian answers resolutely.

John blinks, confusion riddled into his normally guarded exterior, which Dorian normally has the knack of breaking consistently. “How do you know that? Have you been-“

“I asked,” John’s partner replies with a faint smile on his lips, turning his eyes to the road they’re on.

“You what-“

“And she said, yes,” placing an emphasis on the latter word with the significant change of voice to his soundbox. Preferably, Valerie’s. John snorts with a shake of his head, hands gripping the wheel to turn onto a cut-off.

“Have you ever expected I just might have something planned, myself?”

Dorian leans towards the window with blue eyes curiously running over John. “If you mean to fix that back-up you’ve got going on-“

“Dammit, Dorian, that’s not what I-“

“I assure you, there’s time after that to get to—“

“Dorian!”

“And maybe even have a small decency of thinking of Val-“

“Dorian! Good God! Dammit, shut up!”

But, John’s laughing and Dorian’s grinning like the idiot android his partner believes him to be and the car suddenly mimics the scenery they are passing; flashing lights of the holiday season donned on homes, across lawns, people wearing santa hats, loved ones exchanging hugs and kisses with presents pressed between them—there’s the holiday cheer Dorian’s been fixated on bringing to John who he watches hiding his face behind a hand with the other on the wheel, obviously blocking a blush from view.

They turn again and Dorian looks back out the window, frowning.

“John?” he asks with concern, more of curiosity. “This isn’t the way to the station.”

It suddenly goes quiet and Dorian finally turns to his partner, confusion evident on his face. “If you wanted to head to a bar-“

“We’re not going to a bar.”

“Then where-“

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still thinking about spending Christmas at home with a good glass of booze, just not—“ John pauses, swallowing down the burn in his chest, which suddenly rose into his throat. “—just not alone.” He glances over to Dorian to watch the android’s reaction.

Dorian’s staring at him, cheeks flashing in mere mimicry to the passing homes of Christmas delights and décor.

Dorian wants to push the issue of Detective Stahl, to help his partner, his friend, in finding romance and love during the season where nursing cups of hot cocoa, or in this case, glasses of bourbon between fingers while exchanging stories on a warm couch is the budding opener of a relationship. Yet. Yet—.

Dorian’s face lights up in an entirely different way without the effect of LEDs.

“All you had to do was ask, man.”

John ‘tchs’ but the gleam in his eyes is not lost on the android.

They pull up into a parking structure and John slides the car into it’s usual place. Home, Dorian thinks as from here on out everything is naturally taking place for John; the subtle shift of placing the car into park, cutting off the ignition, taking up his empty mug of coffee in one hand, pushing open his door with the other, sliding out of the car and pocketing his keys. Only this time, he ducks back down and offers a jerk of his head to Dorian.

“C’mon,” and slams the door shut without a second word. Dorian sits for a moment, grinning to himself, before shuffling out and after his partner.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, John?” Dorian softly calls out as he lays his head against the window of John’s apartment, watching the world below with its city lights and drizzle of rain; small enough to mimic the act of snow falling. Through the glass, he could envision himself peering into a snow globe.

“Yeah-?” comes a sudden gruff voice right behind him and Dorian jolts into attention, wondering when John had moved and took to settling next to him. He shakes it off, reverting his attention back to the world inside his precious globe.

The android presses his head against the glass, the chill from the surface buzzing through his internal synapses. If he had real breath, precipitation would cloud his vision. He’s not human, however. He’s not human and yet John wants to spend Christmas with him. Not Detective Stahl. His inability to process what that could mean bears a strangling hold on his inner core.

They have no gifts for one another. Nothing to exchange. There’s no hand- holding or scarf sharing. No stories to share because both have lost what memories worth exploring together and what they’ve gained have already been passed between them. Dorian shifts, inadvertently knocking his knee against John’s flesh leg, which doesn’t move away, so neither does Dorian.

“Merry Christmas, John” he murmurs, unaware of the eyes watching him.

Bourbon-breathed and roughened at the edges, John drops his head against his partner’s shoulder with a mutter. “Merry Christmas, Dorian.”

**Author's Note:**

> **Originally posted on my tumblr with a few minor edits. Still no beta, so if there are any mistakes criticism will be taken into account. I'll have my email open to those who might want to become my beta. Thanks for reading! And I hope you enjoyed it even though it's so short..


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